"The draw has been made, and nothing can be changed now," said Fernando Santos, the head coach of the Azerbaijan national football team.
In an interview with AFFA's press service, the Portuguese coach commented on the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, Idman.biz reports.
He emphasized the importance of getting to know the opponents better: "We will know whether we will face France or Croatia after the UEFA Nations League playoffs. Our other opponents are Ukraine and Iceland."
Santos also clarified the key point: "Now, the most important thing is to prepare our team for these matches. It's a good thing that we don't have official matches in March and June. We will have time to prepare for the group games. During those months, we will play friendly matches so that our team is ready for the qualifying matches in September."
Azerbaijan's opponents in Group D are the winner of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final between France and Croatia, as well as Ukraine and Iceland. The group stage will begin in September 2025.
Idman.biz
